Qiao Qiao

Qiao Qiao, a girl born with bilateral retinoblastoma (cancer in both eyes), spent almost two years in Hong Kong receiving treatment for her cancer. Her left eye was enucleated when she first arrived in Hong Kong in December 2007, followed by 9 courses of chemotherapy and 9 sessions of laser photocoagulation to remove the tumor in her right eye.

While these procedures failed, she was given 25 sessions of radiation therapy. She was here during our 2008 concert and presented flowers to our soloists. She finished all her treatments in late 2009 and was well enough to return to Beijing. With a cancer-free status, the orphanage was able to put her up for adoption and is now living happily in the United States. Her parents have been communicating with MedArt regarding her health, and we learned that after a few months in the United States (around June 2011), she has had a recurrence of cancer. She was brought to a nationally renowned cancer center, the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, to receive intra-arterial chemotherapy. At her second appointment, the doctors said that she was not responding to the treatment as well as they had hoped. In January this year, Qiao's right eye was removed because her cancer had started to spread. Around the same time, Qiao also received her last round of chemotherapy to stop any additional cells from getting away.

Despite the lost of her eyesight, her mother said that Qiao still plays with her 3 yr old sister as if she still has eyesight. She still rides her bike & plays on the playground and has never been sad or sullen. She has simply adjusted at every step with such a beautiful attitude. She was fitted for two new prostheses and she is still handling everything very well, though at times she will say things that let others know she is still hoping to see in the future.

Everyone who had been in touch with Qiao while she was staying in Hong Kong would say that she is a bright, beautiful and brave girl and would feel certain sadness in her having to lose her sight. However, because of MedArt, she was able to prolong her eyesight until she was adopted. We are happy that she had a chance to see her new parents and little sister, and had time to familiarize herself with the new environment before becoming completely blind. Had she remained in the orphanage, it would be very hard for her to take care of herself without eyesight. She is now attending braille school and is enjoying her new family and it is to this purpose that COO works relentlessly to give these children hope for a new life.